1 response
1.1 box office
1.2 critical reaction
1.3 thematic content
response
bette davis , gary merrill
box office
the film earned $2.9 million in box office receipts in during release.
critical reaction
all eve received overwhelmingly positive reviews critics upon release on october 13, 1950 @ new york city premiere. film s competitor, sunset boulevard, released same year, drew similar praise, , 2 favorably compared. film critic bosley crowther of new york times loved film, stating fine darryl zanuck production, excellent music , air of ultra-class complete superior satire.
film critic roger ebert of chicago sun times praised film, saying bette davis character veteran actress margo channing in eve greatest role. boxoffice.com stated classic of american cinema – day quintessential depiction of ruthless ambition in entertainment industry, legendary performances bette davis, anne baxter , george sanders anchoring 1 of best films 1 of hollywood s best golden era filmmakers: joseph l. mankiewicz.
thematic content
critics , academics have delineated various themes in film. rebecca flint marx, in allmovie review, notes antagonism existed between broadway , hollywood @ time, stating script summoned existence whole array of painfully recognizable theatre types, aging, egomaniacal grand dame outwardly docile, inwardly scheming ingenue powerful critic reeks of malignant charm. roger ebert, in review in great movies, says eve harrington universal type, , focuses on aging actress plot line, comparing film sunset boulevard. similarly, marc lee s 2006 review of film daily telegraph describes subtext darker corners of show business, exposing inherent ageism, when comes female stars. kathleen woodward s 1999 book, figuring age: women, bodies, generations (theories of contemporary culture), discusses themes appeared in many of aging actress films of 1950s , 1960s, including eve. reasons margo has 3 options: continue work, can perform role of young woman, 1 no longer seems interested in. can take position of angry bitch, drama queen holds court (the deliberate camp susan sontag finds in film). or can accept culture s gendered discourse of aging figures in moment of fading. margo chooses latter option, accepting position 1 of loss.
gary merrill bill sampson
professor robert j. corber, has studied homophobia within cultural context of cold war in united states, posits foundational theme in eve defense of norms of heterosexuality, in terms of patriarchal marriage, must upheld in face of challenges female agency , homosexuality. nurturing heterosexual relationships of margo , bill , of karen , lloyd serve contrast loveless relationship predation , sterile careerism of homosexual characters, eve , addison. eve uses physical femininity weapon try break marriages of both couples, , addison s extreme cynicism serves model of eve s future. film reviewer kenneth geist, despite being critical of emphasis sam staggs book about eve places on film s homosexual elements, nonetheless acknowledged eve s lesbianism seemed apparent; specifically, geist states manifestations of eve’s lesbianism twice briefly discernible. geist asserted mankiewicz highly contemptuous of both male , female homosexuals, although mankiewicz himself suggested otherwise in interview in argued society should drop vendetta against them.
george sanders addison dewitt
homosexuality linked communism during cold war s lavender scare , critics have written film s subtle, yet central, cold war narrative. fair amount of subtlety employed in eve seen being due production code restrictions on depiction of homosexuals in media during time. however, notwithstanding restrictions, corber cites film 1 example of recurrent theme within american film of homosexual emotionally bereft predator. documentary celluloid closet affirms theme corber refers, including citing numerous other film examples same production code time period in eve made.
another important theme of film, in terms of war politics , sexuality, involves post-world war ii pressure placed upon women acquiesce agency. pressure resume traditional female roles illustrated in film in contrast between margo s mockery of karen richards being happy little housewife , lengthy , inspired monologue, reformed woman later, virtuousness of marriage, including how woman not woman without having man beside her. submissive , effeminate margo contrasted theatricality, combativeness, , egotism of earlier career woman margo, , film s 2 homosexual characters. margo quips eve should place award heart should be, , eve shown bereft @ end of film. @ dinner, 2 married couples see eve , addison in negative light, margo wondering aloud schemes eve constructing in feverish little brain. additionally, eve s utility personal assistant margo in film, subtle construct of same-sex intimate relationship, decried birdie, same working-class character detected theatricality in eve s story husband. birdie sees such agency being unnatural, , film contrasts predatory nature ( studying blueprint ) love , warmth of later reliance upon bill. pressure acquiesce agency , more highly value patriarchy, following return of men war, after having been shown propaganda promoting agency such rosie riveter , after having occupied traditionally male roles such bomb-building factory worker, deemed problem has no name well-known feminist betty friedan.
despite critics such corber have described homophobia pervasive in movie, eve has long been favored film among gay audiences, due campy overtones (in part due casting of davis) , general sophistication. davis, long had strong gay fan base, expressed support gay men in 1972 interview advocate.
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